Web-based Data Download (DODS Access)

Regional Aggregated Data with DODS Query Form

• Air Pressure
• Air Temperature
• Coastal Wind
• Currents

• Salinity
• Sea Surface Temperature
• Water Level
• Wave Height

Subregional Partner Institution Data

• University of North Carolina / NC-COOS
• University of South Carolina / CaroCOOPS
• University of South Florida / COMPS
• Skidaway Institute of Oceanography / SABSOON

• University of Miami
• • WERA
  • EFSIS
  • Explorer of the Seas

Affiliate and Collaborator Institution Data

• CORMP (SEACOOS Affiliate)
• GoMOOS (Not a partner, but a key collaborator!)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is DODS?
• What is the format of SEACOOS DODS data?

What is DODS?

Help from the creators of DODS: "The Distributed Oceanographic Data System [DODS] is a system that allows you to access data over the internet, from programs that weren't originally designed for that purpose, as well as some that were."

DODS is an implementation of OpenDAP, where DAP is "data access protocol", so really it is just a convenient way to access and subset data via the internet. This idea (though not specifically this system) is an integral part of the concept of a distributed data system. We have chosen to host our data on these servers for a number of reasons, including working towards the national Ocean.US plan of distributed regional systems. OpenDAP has options for sharing data in different formats (transparent to the end user), it allows for ancillary data (information describing the data that helps the user understand what they are looking at), and the user can build a url that will automatically grab the part of the data set that they are interested in. Many platforms of data can be hosted, including model output, buoy or tower observations, ship track data, HF radar, or just about anything else (it needn't be oceanographic or meteorological in nature, though it is particularly well suited to these).

What is the format of SEACOOS DODS data?

SEACOOS CDL v2.0 describes a set of conventions adopted by the SouthEast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) to promote sharing and exchange of data from disparate ocean observing and remote-sensing data sources. These data include observations from buoys, offshore towers, ships, tide- and stream-gauging stations, acoustic profilers, radar, aircraft, satellites and other remote mapping sensors. SEACOOS is a regional partnership that has initiated an integrated coastal ocean observing system for a four-state (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) region of the southeast coastal U.S. (Seim, et al., 2003, Seim, et al, 2002). SEACOOS partners publish near real-time data in netCDF (network Common Data Form) format and make it available on the Internet through OPeNDAP (Open source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol) Servers.

SEACOOS CDL v2.0 details the agreed upon netCDF format categories, required variables, and required and recommended attributes. The name of this standard is “SEACOOS CDL”. CDL stands for Common Data Language. The current accepted version is 2.0.

SEACOOS CDL v2.0 provides conformity to develop automated search and aggregation tools. It is also flexible to allow SEACOOS to coordinate many different sources of data into a merged dataset and provide unique graphical displays of these merged data in near real-time. SEACOOS CDL provides an unambiguous output format for SEACOOS partners. It allows anyone to incorporate their observational data into powerful displays with similar data.